Yankees' Clint Frazier Optioned to Triple-A After Edwin Encarnacion Trade
June 16, 2019
The New York Yankees had to make a move to accommodate their new slugger, and outfielder Clint Frazier was the one who felt the roster crunch.
According to Lindsey Adler of The Athletic, manager Aaron Boone revealed the team optioned Frazier to make room for the newly acquired Edwin Encarnacion.
This comes after the Yankees announced they landed Encarnacion from the Seattle Mariners via trade Saturday. New York sent the American League West team pitcher Juan Then and cash considerations.
While Frazier has performed well at times this season, Encarnacion is the type of player who the Yankees figure to immediately insert into the lineup.
He leads the American League with 21 home runs this year and has drilled at least 30 long balls in each of the last seven seasons. He was also an All-Star three times during that span and will give New York a feared trio of power hitters alongside Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton for the stretch run.
The timing is unfortunate for Frazier, seeing how the 24-year-old is slashing .285/.333/.522 with 11 home runs and 34 RBI in 2019.
All of those numbers, minus the on-base percentage, would be career-best totals, and he's already played in a career-high 52 games for a squad that has dealt with a litany of injuries. Mike Petriello of MLB.com suggested Frazier could eventually be a featured piece in a trade for another pitcher as New York chases an American League East title.
The Yankees are a half-game ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays and will be even more formidable with Encarnacion in the lineup.